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Balasaheb's connection with Bollywood

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He loved Mithun Chakraborty and recalled the actor paying him a visit in 1993 when his partners Hanif Kadawala and Samir Hingora (who had a company called Magnum Video) were found indulging in nefarious activities. Mithun is like my son, said Balasaheb. "I love him but if found guilty I'd say, hang him.''

Balasaheb’s connection with Hindi cinema began in 1945 when he was a cartoonist with The Free Press Journal and was also associated with Famous Pictures. He would often visit the studio because he was a member of their staff and made advertising layouts. It is there that he came across film directors and actors.

The Tiger loved watching Westerns. He liked cowboys, gun-fights and horse-riding sequences. One of his favourite Bollywood films was Ramesh Sippy’s Sholay (1975). According to him, Hindi cinema certainly grew in stature after the film’s release because it had a westernised concept and was technically sleek.

He liked Amitabh Bachchan and Big B reciprocated his sentiments. Balasaheb had requested people to stop attacking Bachchan during the Bofors controversy. Way back in 1994, Big B had said, “Balasaheb is a friend, a well-wisher... someone I respect.”

Of the leading ladies of Hindi cinema, he felt yesteryear actresses like Durga Khote, Devika Rani, Vyjayanthimala, Shanta Apte and Hema Malini had grace. Sridevi, Jayaprada and Madhuri Dixit also created an impact.

He liked Sanjay Dutt. He understood that in a moment of weakness, Sanju may have made some mistakes. However, he was upset that the actor was detained under something as severe as TADA (Terrorist And Disruptive Activities) even before anything was proven. Sanju, in turn, looked to Balasaheb as a father figure. The distraught actor, who was incarcerated for possession of an AK-56 and later released from prison, confessed that he wouldn’t be able to roam the streets of Mumbai freely had Balasaheb not intervened. “He stood by me when no one else was willing to,’’ Dutt said.

Balasaheb’s strength was the Shiv Sena. He always maintained that he had given birth to the Shiv Sena and he could count on them forever. “Many people cannot digest the fact that, I, who had such a humble beginning as a cartoonist, has actually managed to become so big. My sainiks are a team of fine people who work for the nation and for Bollywood,” he said.

“I am a man of the masses and I often tell actors that they too should consider themselves lucky not because of their bank balance but because they have a mass following. The Shiv Sena is my true strength, my wealth,’’ he reiterated.

He loved Mithun Chakraborty and recalled the actor paying him a visit in 1993 when his partners Hanif Kadawala and Samir Hingora (who had a company called Magnum Video) were found indulging in nefarious activities. Mithun is like my son, said Balasaheb. “I love him but if found guilty I’d say, hang him.’’